Meekness Not Weakness Series

The two key ingredients of meekness are to know yourself, and to be able to say “no” to yourself. Moses had a realistic view of himself. He knew that he didn’t have what it took to be the savior of the Israelites. He needed major assurances from God, guarantees of presence and power and protection. Now, back in the early days, when he was a prince of Egypt, he did think he could fix things with brute force. He killed a man who was abusing a slave, and wound up having to flee for his life. I have a feeling that back when he was Prince Moses, we might have heard him singing the Egyptian equivalent of “Cest moi!” But 40 years in Midian, herding sheep and learning about life from that wise sheik Jethro, had tempered that youthful brashness.

Back during the time when I was thinking and praying about entering the ministry, investigating my sense of call and working through the issue of women’s ordination, in one part of myself I thought, “How astute of God to have called me! It’s a perfect fit! I have all the gifts... teaching and public speaking and writing and planning and group dynamics and a whole variety of leadership skills and...” well, you get the idea. In one sense I didn’t have a very good self-image but there were some things I knew I was good at. Well, fortunately God knew just how to knock the stuffing out of that particular delusion. I won’t go into detail but it was the clear view of myself as sinner that I told you about last week, the mourning that was so intense and severe that if God hadn’t been holding my hand through the process I might not have survived. I cried for a week - including occasionally over spreadsheets in my office - and for another year or so whenever I tried to talk about it I’d have to hold my breath to keep from bursting into tears again. I still had all the gifts and skills I’d been so impressed with before, but finally I knew who I was. And only then was I suitable for God’s use.

Sometimes pride has to be knocked out of people before meekness can be poured in. That’s what happened to Paul, remember? He started out so sure of his righteousness that he not only demonized his opponents, he sought their deaths. But Jesus shook him up, and in his first letter to Timothy he referred to himself as foremost among sinners.

Meekness is strength tamed through self-knowledge and submission to God. And it is not a natural quality. A person who finds it natural or easy to submit will not have the strength to stand up for God’s truth, to persevere against opposition, to fight the good fight or finish the race.

C. S. Lewis points out that this combination of strength and gentleness is a paradox. Those of us “who have grown up amid the ruins of the chivalrous tradition,” says Lewis, “have the notion that a bully is a coward.” This is not true, as both history and experience show us. In none of the ancient epics are the brave also called on to be merciful.

The medieval ideal - which was Christian at its core, although not always in its practice - brought together two things which have no natural tendency to belong to each other. It taught humility and forbearance to the great warrior because everyone knew how much he usually needed that lesson. And it demanded valor of the modest and peace-loving man because everyone knew that such a one would not normally be equipped to fight for the very ideals by which he survived.